Mil Sim Field Exercise August 6,7, 2011

[Variable]

I agree with all the improvements you guys are telling me, and I'll strive to make them for the next one.
Highlight reel:

[MillerSA15]

I liked that I wasn't on a schedule to dig my fighting position. But then it wasn't connected to my battle buddy's in the back and I became sad. Then Gir Mumky showed up and made a a fighting slit trench and just stuck his a$$ into it and covered himself with hay so I felt better.

Your fighting position looked better than mine! I just happened to dig mine first, so it was your job to make them connect .

My favorite part of my fighting position was sleeping in it, instead of fighting in it.

Overall great job Variable, you kept things simple, and it worked just fine. Having so little fighting at night was nice. Knowing I had to drive the next day, I slept as much as possible, which was good, because I very nearly didn't make it home without falling asleep, and fell asleep as soon as I got home.

Actually that makes a good suggestion: If you want more night action I would suggest breaking it up into drivers and non-drivers. Force your drivers to sleep, and everyone else can stay up and play. Then you don't have a safety issue the next day.

Otherwise I had a great time, and I really liked the format. I would have had a better time if my damn RPK74 drum mag hadn't decided to be an epic phony pony to me. I am glad my spare RPK74 and drum worked so well for Darius137. I guess despite the fact that it wasn't shooting worth shit it was a nice intimidation factor when 3rd squad (pickup) was defending and everyone else was assaulting, as evidenced by the fact that the assault bogged down...in front of a gun that wasn't shooting . At least now I get bragging rights that I killed more people with my 1911 than I did with my RPK74 .

[Switchback]

Must go to next one.

[ogrejager]

Sleep? Separate the drivers so they get more sleep?

Really?

Granted, I wasn't there--I was getting up at 4 AM and going halibut fishing, but seriously, if you can't go one night without sleep and then drive home, remind me to never invite you duck hunting.

Jesus.

Tim, sounds like you did a good job. Put the next one in mid-September. I'll come and do opfor for you. Hopefully, by then I'll have my bolt/shotgun kit built and finished.

[Variable]

I'd also like to see more LANDNAV incorporated in to the next one, as I had fun with Variable trying to determine where the hell 1st platoon was on a map.

Never give an officer a map, or expect him to be able to navigate /sarcasm

As far as sleep/etc. I got as little sleep as anyone else and had to drive back to Grants Pass afterwards. It was... difficult. Had to stop and take a nap partway.

[CommieHunter]

I just watched the video, and the first 50 seconds watching those guys with packs patrol through the woods, they look like soldiers. Even the guy with the black backpack at about 45-45sec looks like a fighter, not an airsofter.

[Ivan Daylovich™]

If anyone ever thinks the might fall asleep on the way home, stop and take a nap. You don't have to leave the field right away, especially if doing so endangers the well-being of you and your passengers.

Give scared a break. You have to know this type of game isn't for everyone and now he knows that. I didn't think I'd like this and was really just there to support Tim, but I found out I quite liked it. I will start planning ways to improve my pack for next time then be disappointed how long it will be until the next one.

[VogonFord]

Overall, very fun game. My old-timey loadout served well and I'd definitely play at another game like it.

I think it should have been more clearly stated that people would be hoofing around their equipment for a while, seeing as there were a lot of guys there who didn't pack in any sort of way to carry while on patrol. I was going for a one-night patrol loadout in the first place, so I wasn't among them (thankfully).

I also didn't expect it to get as cold as it did, but that's my own fault.

[Jewish Ninja]

Next one you put on Tim, put me down for OPFOR as well. I would have loved to have to deal with more than just sneaky Ivan and Switch

[TechGeek001]

Never give an officer a map, or expect him to be able to navigate /sarcasm

Yep. Good call.

[phiz]

If anyone ever thinks the might fall asleep on the way home, stop and take a nap. You don't have to leave the field right away, especially if doing so endangers the well-being of you and your passengers.

"When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car."
— Jack Handey

[CrossBow]

It was a blast and everyone played a fair and hard game. The STA forces were great and kept us on our toes …. all day and night long. The pickup squad that Phantom Fury team up with on Saturday was top notch, it was a pleasure joining forces with them.

I wish a few more people had actually stayed at camp through the night; it would have made for some seriously fun night games …. regardless it was a lot of fun.

Already looking forward to the next one, and if Variable can implement the “Things to improve on” it will be 5 star event!

Variable, thanks for all the hard work!!

[ScaredShooter]

Improvements / suggestions:
- Take this brief case to sector blah blah.
- Go to sector blah blah and recover the brief case.
- Escort this VIP to the trucks and back.

Agree! These kinds of things I would like.
Where you actually have to do something.

I still had fun though. Thanks again to Variable. If I was smart enough to just wear a backpack, I probably would've liked it better.

I'm a whiner.

[Darius137]

When there are military operations in real life, these are not the type of scenarios you'd be doing.

Sure, you could have "Perform a raid on point X" but to do it comprehensively and correctly you'd first get surveillance (maps, then satellite imagry then design a path to watch it, then create an OPORD for a recce team to go in then build a hide site and watch it for X amount of time then you'd have an infantry element move into the area who would go to an objective rally point and drop rucks then make a patrol base and send out a leaders recon to get eyes on who would come back and bring the rest of the unit and then set up your weapons squads and mortars if you have them as support by fire then you would create a sand table and smaller OPORD for your unit who would then possibly rehearse the battle drills a few times then move into the raid and attack the point after a sniper initiates from the recce team, using chemlights (glow sticks) out of windows or whatever so that the support by fire can suppress just in front of the unit as they advance through an objective.

After you get to the edge of the objective you reconsolidate and form a perimeter, get LACE reports, report to higher and move out to a new rally point off the objective and then recover from that and do an AAR and refit for another mission. This could take all day with a unit that knows what they're doing. With an airsoft unit it could take 3-4 just to get it right.

To get an item you would want to do a map recon, get a full briefing to a scout section, send a grab team and emplace all support assets before you get it, then have a plan to pull all support assets out and reconvene at a safer spot, send up the request and smoke for lift according to the OPORD and then call game (unless you have a helicopter).

To do a VIP mission you'd need everyone to practice VIP protection methods which vary according to the terrain and if it's urban or not urban quite a bit, and a VIP to the trucks probably wouldn't be as fun as an urban scenario. The big work for this would be to set up a proper ambush with fields of fire, mines on the kill zone and emplacing security elements.


All this stuff seems easy when you just run through it half-assed, but to do it properly and make it mil-sim or effective and "correct", it takes a LOT of backend work for the game promoter/host as well as a lot of time to train up airsofters to do the basic shape of the maneuver.

[McNair]

BUT WAT ABOOT PMC AN SPCIAL FRCES